Coronavirus Update: Poll finds 81% of Canadians think Canada-U.S. border should stay closed

Good evening, here are the coronavirus updates you need to know tonight.

Poll finds 81 per cent of Canadians say the Canada-U.S. border should stay closed as death toll tops 130,000 stateside UN experts find climate change, other environment degredation accelerates spread of COVID-19 and other zoonotic diseases Unions tell MPs that grocery workers should still have pandemic pay bump, point to dozens on infected front-line staff

In Canada, there have been at least 105,934 cases reported. In the last week 2,016 new cases were announced, 12 per cent fewer than the previous week. There have also been at least 69,570 recoveries and 8,693 deaths. Health officials have administered more than 3,128,329 tests.

Worldwide, there have been at least 11,449,707 cases confirmed and 534,267 deaths reported.

Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus explainers: Updates and essential resources • Coronavirus in maps and charts • Lockdown rules and reopening plans in each province

Open this photo in gallery Mark Snyder, of Canton, Mass., adjusts his mask while working out on a treadmill, Monday, July 6, 2020, at Answer is Fitness gym, in Canton. Casinos, gyms, movie theatres and museums are among the businesses allowed to reopen in the state on Monday, July 6 under the third phase of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's coronavirus economic recovery plan. The rules don't apply to Boston, which is to move into Phase 3 on July 13. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Steven Senne/The Associated Press

About 41 per cent of smaller companies who believe they qualify for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance or CECRA said their landlord has not applied to the program, according to results published Monday by Save Small Business, a lobbying group created to support entrepreneurs during the pandemic.

Another 14 per cent said their landlord has “maybe” applied.

The survey drew roughly 1,660 responses, with half coming from British Columbia.

The results are the latest sign of tepid participation in CECRA, which aims to minimize rent for small businesses that have taken massive revenue hits during the pandemic.

Several landlords have told The Globe and Mail they aren’t bothering to participate in the federal government program, with some citing their struggles in applying.

In Ottawa, union leaders representing thousands of grocery store workers told a House of Commons committee there’s no reason to cut pandemic pay premiums given the COVID-19 crisis is not over.

Union leaders recommended stricter labour standards and oversight for the grocery sector.

MPs on the industry committee agreed to look into the matter and will have a chance to question retail executives at the end of the week.

Last month, grocery chains Loblaw, Metro and Empire, the parent company of Sobey’s, announced they were ending the pay bump – in most cases $2 an hour – for workers because the pace of business had eased.

Also last month, the Empire, Safeway and other grocery stores reported record sales growth and earnings in the fourth quarter.

And: In a new poll, 81 per cent of Canadians say the Canada-U.S. border should remain closed to non-essential travellers for the foreseeable future. Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the border would say closed until at least July 21.

Plasma project: Can the straw-coloured liquid in the blood of coronavirus survivors help save the newly infected? A Canadian clinical trial wants to enroll 1,200 coronavirus-infected patients to find out.

U.S. coronavirus deaths topped 130,000, with infections on the rise in 39 states, and with 16 states recording new daily records in July. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo harshly criticized the White House’s pandemic response on Monday, accusing President Donald Trump of “enabling” the virus that causes COVID-19.

coronavirus deaths topped 130,000, with infections on the rise in 39 states, and with 16 states recording new daily records in July. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo harshly criticized the White House’s pandemic response on Monday, accusing President Donald Trump of “enabling” the virus that causes COVID-19. United Nations experts said environmental degredation, including intensive farming and climate charge, help drive the spread of viruses, like COVID-19, that pass from animals to humans.

experts said environmental degredation, including intensive farming and climate charge, help drive the spread of viruses, like COVID-19, that pass from animals to humans. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian government seems focused on covering up the virus rather than treating it, even while the Pan-American Health Organization urges the country to take aggressive measures.

President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian government seems focused on covering up the virus rather than treating it, even while the Pan-American Health Organization urges the country to take aggressive measures. The pandemic and associated economic downturns have exacerbated the dangers for African women who have travelled to do domestic work for families in Arab countries such as Saudia Arabia and Lebanon.

women who have travelled to do domestic work for families in Arab countries such as Saudia Arabia and Lebanon. Thousands in Ukraine and Russia have recently flocked to Black Sea beaches but declined to practise physical distancing or wear a mask, despite high case numbers in both countries.

Two Bank of Canada business and consumer surveys show a “substantial widening in economic slack” as employment expectations sink to historic lows.

Consumers are shopping and spending less because of coronavirus fears, and cancelling or postponing major purchases.

Consumer caution is translating into sharply lower sales expectations and investment plans among businesses.

The bank’s business outlook survey indicator dropped to its lowest reading since the financial crisis of 2008-09.

Also today: The pandemic may help accelerate the transition to e-bikes and e-scooters, as health and safety concerns keep people off mass transit.

Bicycle sales jumped in April, according to a new report, as major Canadian cities are giving over more road space to create new bike lanes and pedestrian zones.

However, several studies show more people who don’t own cars are looking to buy one as a result of the pandemic.

And: The U.S. services industry activity rebounded sharply in June

Lori Nikkel: “For years, Canadians have survived with a patchwork system of aid to feed the hungry – a sprawling, informal network of some 60,000 charitable groups offering sustenance. Then came COVID-19, which ruthlessly exposed the precarity of this existing system.”

“For years, Canadians have survived with a patchwork system of aid to feed the hungry – a sprawling, informal network of some 60,000 charitable groups offering sustenance. Then came COVID-19, which ruthlessly exposed the precarity of this existing system.” Mark Leonard: “When COVID-19 struck Europe and forced millions of people into internal exile, many were overcome by a deep sense of loneliness. This reflected not only a craving to be reunited with friends and family, but also a broader feeling that their countries had been helpless and abandoned in the face of a global pandemic.”

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